Re: Pakal
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:34 pm
by Trackman281
Hell of a week so far and it's only Tuesday, two chapters from your good self and one from Tirepanted, this is great.
Immediately right out of the gate, tensions are automatically running high and the gauntlets have been laid, well this is where the fun begins.
Tsuki will soon become both a powerful mage and an apex predator all in one, as you can tell, I'm very excited to see where this goes.
Amazing scene afterwards with Azeneth, Jinora, Yisu and the four assassins. Such speed and efficiency, the assassin's needed to be eliminated quickly though, the bells have rang and an aura of uncertainty fills the air for our heroes and villains alike, this is truly an incredible chapter.
Things don't even slow down with the next scene featuring Aysun, Safiye, Layah, Maryam and Derya. The pursuit while short was still intense as you could sense the situation worsening with every footstep, this also makes sense that they fear Tsuki, I mean they've seen what she's like when she's on there side, now coming across someone with her abilities who's NOT on your side, well that would certainly make run faster, I can tell you that.
I fully understand why Yuka knocked Coulter out, I mean she was having a panic attack, her adrenaline must of been through the roof and her restraints must of all been too much, I hope Coulter realizes that knocking her out was for her own safety.
Amazing USB scene afterwards, I like the description of the devotees outfits, you described them perfectly as I imagined one heck of an imagine in my mind, I like the fact that you come up with some very creative outfits, through out this whole series, they've all felt unique and have their own "flavour" to them, I guess you could say. They've all been great
I must admit, I did see a betrayal coming but I didn't expect it to be Safiye, the way she said "One day you might take my place." I automatically assumed Ceda was going to attack but obviously I was wrong and it was the other way round, I don't know if you intended to have that little trick of a line from Safiye, but if you did then a massive congratulations are in order as it definitely fooled me for a moment.
Wow, that scene was awesome, Safiye not only betrays the rest of her gang, but add insult to injury, strips one of her own gang members, the wickedness.
I must admit even I felt my heart sink a little bit when she turned and saw Tsuki standing there waiting for her and Safiye is right to ponder.......What did happen to those two guards now she seen tsuki wearing one of their uniforms, I guess some things should be left unsaid.
Honestly amazing work, you've captured the tension and the mood of this whole scene wonderfully.
Well although this may seem like a Pyrrhic victory right now, hopefully down the line it will all have been for the greater good, oh and I spoke to soon it seems we now know what happened to the imposter guards after all, but I can't help but wonder, why didn't Tsuki kill the real guards too, was their no sport or thrill in it, did she just not care, or is it something else?
Damn, Yuka's letting her evil side a bit, I understand why giving the circumstances and everything, I just wonder if she doesn't keep her emotions in check, could she end up doing more than harm than good.
Overall though fantastic scene and it was pretty cool seeing Yasmeen getting taking out and stripped.
Nice scene afterwards, looking forward to seeing what condition Azeneth has left Jala in.
Also in the enxt scene I liked the little jab at the "Blondie's" expense about Yuka being surprised she can read haha.
Again another great afterward with Jala and Azeneth, while we always knew Azeneth wasn't the type to just simply stab a woman for her clothes, a lot has happened to these awesome characters of where you never fully know what line's they might cross next, it truly is great.
Well it is nice to see that Nahid and her fellow captors weren't just completely forgotten about, good thing too just by the way Nahid was feeling.
Amazing piece of lore then from Istir's memory recollection, is always nice to know more and a lot of seemed really heartbreaking but that's fine because it just allows us to connect more with these awesome characters.
Although I must admit, the revelation that Itsir was pregnant was a shock for me too, still I am pleased that Azeneth found out about it before she hurt her.
The first part of the epilogue was great, going through the aftermath and the blowback of what had just happened in the palace, while there's no denying that Mehmet III was naturally relieved that Rashid was not harmed, you can't help but feel that despite all of this, if the option was there he would of gladly traded his Rahid's life for Yusef.
Well I suppose even a rivalry like Yuka's and Coulter's need a moment of reprieve don't they, it was nice to see Coulter thank Yuka for saving her life, I don't expect them to be best friends anytime soon, but just that little acknowledgment is good enough for me.
On top of all that it was nice to see Yuka reunited with her friends at the end.
It was great so see Safiye reflecting on the events that have just transpired, going through what she had to do and reflecting on what she deemed as a failure on behalf of Zaide because she simply cared, this gave us a great insight as to who Safiye really is. I kind of like her even more now.
Tsuki's power grows with each installment, soon the world itself will bend to Tsuki's will and then well.......Who knows, but I'm sure we will find out soon enough.
Haha. Now that is how you end a chapter, indeed the world is a stage and as such an extra is nothing more than a disposable means to an end. Most enjoyable.
This is just fantastic, such a delight and joy to watch all these events play out, I can't even pin point a favourite scene in this chapter because it was just that good. I have been enjoying this SO Much and this is a truly one of your best series to date, I love the characters, I love the world, I love the lore and I really love the sense of where your never quite sure what's going to happen next, you always three or four different scenarios going through your mind about what it could be, but that's not always correct and it's usually something you never quite see coming. It's a heck of stand out universe you have created and I'm loving every second of it.
Re: Pakal
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:38 am
by rufusluciusivan
Tirepanted:
tirepanted3 wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:50 pm
And I wish I could write as fast as you! Impressive how you're able to keep the pace with both Pakal and Vigilantes.
Yes, I think Safiye intrigues me because she embraces her evil side yet generates some sympathy because she is still caught between a rock and a hard place with Tsuki. And she's greedy but not stupid, which makes her a formidable villain. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of her.
Outside of having inspiration, and being motivated by everyone's comments
, I guess that I am currently very lucky to be in a personal situation that gives me a lot of free time, something that may change in one year or two therefore I try to take advantage of it write as much of my ideas as I can.
I can safely assure that this isn't the last time you see of Safiye. A bit like with the government in the first stories, the Mages are very functional characters and are perfect at being the official threat / catalysts of the problems, but I also need a foe that's more involved in the uniform stealings, so that's where she comes in.
Trackmann:
Azeneth isn't said to be one of the best fighters of the Empire for nothing. As she would have said herself: "Poor trained assassins. They didn't stand a chance. They were only four."
Joke aside, I was itching for her to have a moment of glory in this chapter...
Honestly, I'm not completely satisfied with the pursuit. While I think it's okay, I wish this part was longer. But I couldn't find a way to keep it interesting and suspenseful, so I decided to shorten it...
While the first half was action-based, the second is uniform stealing-based. Indeed, finding (or imagining) creative outfits is the main perk of this series when it comes to the USB-part. Since the places are based on different cultures and time periods, it's fun to use clothes that differ from the ones set in modern western-Europe / United States settings.
Ceda was a way too minor character to be a traitor.
Indeed, Safiye's line was a trick - in the sense that she was totally lying to the poor girl that was looking up to her. Same with her interactions with her henchwomen when she was promising them new missions together.
Personally, I found the moment of a triumphant Safiye turning only to see Tsuki ready to hang on to her like a barnacle to her rock hilarious.
The answer about why Tsuki killed the fake guards (though in her defense, when she assaulted them she didn't know they were on her side) and not the real ones already bound and gagged after she found them is simple. Because she felt like it.
Yuka's indeed angry, but she has good reasons to be. While she's a nice person, she has her limits. And indeed, she can take mean-spirited jabs at people. (Poor 'Blondie'... These grunts have feelings too, you know?
) Yuka definitively has a dark side, though she's trying to keep it in check.
Trackman281 wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:34 pm
I just wonder if she doesn't keep her emotions in check, could she end up doing more than harm than good.
Well... Let's just say that it happened in the past, and it did a lot of harm. A LOT. I'm not going to spoil, as it should be revealed soon, but I think that you may guess a little to what event her mistake is linked...
A bit like tirepanted with his FBI agents (or Bridget and her friends when trying to stop a criminal), I enjoy having 'nice' characters put into situations where they have to mug innocent non-combattant persons for the good of their mission. It leads to interesting and different interactions. Hence why I enjoyed a lot writing Azeneth's and Jala's scene, especially how she puts on a cold persona to frighten her victim, but mostly to spare her being knocked out, and how she instantly becomes more polite and sympathetic once Jala has agreed to cooperate.
this may seem like a Pyrrhic victory right now
I wanted this chapter to end on a bittersweet note. It's indeed not supposed to feel like a real victory.
Istir's recollection is a way to make her (and Yusuf) more three-dimentional. I wanted them to be more than just the clichéd 'scheming courtesan' and 'big brother bully', to give them more depth. For Istir, it was rather easy to include her recollection, especially since it tied in with Safiye's backstory. With Yusuf though, I really reached the limitations of writing a USB story with a thick non-USB plot. I wanted to show that, in a way, he was also a product of his environment - but I couldn't find ways to fit his character into the story without breaking the pace, especially the pace of uniform stealings, hence why I squeezed a little anecdote in Istir's recollection.
Mehmet III isn't supposed to be a very sympathetic characters, but I indeed didn't want to make him caricatural either. While it's clear that he prefers his oldest son, he does have affection for his younger one; and he's not the kind of father who would flat-out tell to his other son that he wished he had died instead. I'm looking at you, Denethor from the
Return of the King movie... (Fun fact, a few of Rashid's and Mehmet's lines in this scene are actually taken from a scene of this movie.)
Yuka's and Couter's relationship is indeed taking steps in the good direction. Plus, a friendship moment between Yuka and her friends at the end. Always nice to have one.
I thought that it was important to give some insight on Safiye's personality. What I like about the way her backstory is brought is that it explains her mentality, but it doens't excuse it. Ultimately, the reader is free to choose if they want to sympathize with her or not. I know that tirepanted and you like her more because of it, personally I think it makes her even more despicable... because she made her choice in full knowledge of the facts. She willingly chose to renounce all her friends and loved ones to only care about herself.
Tsuki is indeed a time bomb waiting to happen. Yuka and her friends will have to stop her before she becomes too dangerous...
... and the last scene is there to highlight the reason why she's arguably more dangerous than Safiye or the Mages. Safiye wants money, the Mages want power. They are amoral people, but they are also pragmatic. Tsuki is not. She could as well be a member of this Board, she's that self-aware. The people around her aren't real people in her eyes (except maybe Yuka), they are sources of entertainment. Cheap replaceable interchangeable disposable means in her shallow quest of entertainment and hedonism.
And yet, I can't help but like her as a character. The time to finally reveal her past history with Yuka is nearing... It will involve friendship, tears... and clothes stealings of course.
Re: Pakal
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:29 pm
by rufusluciusivan
Interlude
**************
The Vassal Kingdoms were a collection of lands located north of Pakal. They were conquered during the second wave of conquests launched by the Pakal Empire. As hinted by their names, contrary to provinces, they were allowed to keep some autonomy as long as they acknowledged the Empire's suzerainty. They however had to pay tribute to the Empire, had to align themselves with Pakal when it came to alliances and declarations of war, and the Empire had in theory the right to requisition the services of their armies at will.
While these lands were deeply politically divided, they were sharing a lot of things in common, as they all were descended from the same tribes.
Cultural features. Physical types.
They were also all sharing a colder climate.
**************
“Urh! We haven't even disembarked, and already I hate the place...” Azeneth commented. “How can they stand the cold?”
From the ship's deck, the metis was watching the nearby coastline. They were about to reach the port city of Dun Merida, biggest trade hub of the kingdom of Danann, and first step in their journey to travel the Vassal Kingdoms and to reach the Yr Widdfa to try to get their hands on the ancient artifacts that Rashid's scholars read about in Ce-Tochtli's book.
“It's not that cold, you know?” Yuka answered while smiling lightly. “I heard Yisüi say that, under this kind of weather, her people could-”
“-dance naked. Yes, I heard her too.”
Though indeed, for people such as Azeneth who were used to the warmer climates of Pakal and Ghazan, the Vassal Kindoms could feel cold.
“By the way, Yuka. I haven't forgotten about your promise. You still have to tell us about your history with Tsuki.” the metis suddenly commented.
Yuka lost her smile and became very ill-at-ease.
Ever since the attack of the royal palace, she had found excuses to postpone the moment when she would have to reveal her past history with Tsuki. First, they had to deal with the consequences of Yusuf's murder. Then, they had to secretly return to Pakal. And finally, Rashid and she had to organize the expedition to the Yr Widdfa.
Azeneth was getting impatient.
“Well...” the shapeshifter started to say.
“Gods above!” a voice suddenly echoed behind her. “When do we arrive?!”
Yuka and Azeneth looked at the woman who had just spoken.
Coulter was hanging on to the railing of the boat as if her life depended on it. Her face was greeny. She was somehow managing to gag, moan, and complain at the same time.
“I can't stand this anymore! I... I swear to the gods... I'll dry out this accursed ocean the – GURK – the moment we land...”
Azeneth chuckled. “Remind me why we are dragging her along again?” she joked. “I mean. Jinora came with us because she knows a lot about foreign customs and langugages, and Yisüi because she had actually travelled once in the Vassal Kingdoms with her merchant parents. But Coulter isn't exactly the best at going unnoticed...”
“If some of the technologies we are looking for are still active, there may be threats of magical nature. It's therefore a good idea to have a Mage at hand.” Yuka answered.
While she wasn't showing it, she was actually glad that Coulter provided this convenient distraction...
“Hey! I heard you two!” the redhead shouted at them. “When I... When I get my hands on you, I... I will-” She didn't finish her threat. She was too busy throwing up overboard.
Azeneth ignored her. It was easy to not be scared of the mage-woman when she was a sickly green mess.
“By the way... The Vassal Kingdoms are allies of the Empire. How are we going to walk innocuously in the port?" the metis asked. "I mean, Jinora, Coulter, you, and I must be among the Empire's most wanted fugitives. Jinora and I have physiques that clearly betray our southern origins. And Yisüi's a Gengis. Her people and the Kingdoms aren't exactly best buddies...”
“Don't worry. I have a plan.” Yuka said.
**************
Of course, the plan involved grabbing a few unsuspecting women to divest them of their clothes, and leaving them bound-and-gagged out of sight for a few hours.
The port city of Dun Merida was indeed a trade hub that was brimming with all manner of activities. A lot of travellers and merchants were roaming its streets and its docks. Getting their hands on a few isolated women therefore wasn't very hard. They simply chose a good spot in an isolated part of the docks to set up ambushes, and waited for the right people to pass by.
The first woman they caught was some kind of knight-errant. She had mid-back-long blond hair styled in a braid down her back, with fringes that covered her forehead. Her eyes were light blue and her skin was light. She was of average size, with a fit body and a round face.
She was wearing a metallic chaimail over a white tunic. Over the chainmail, she was wearing a red and golden tabard adorned with a black tower in the middle. She was also wearing gloves reinforced with metal, a thick brown large leather belt around her waist to carry the sheaths of her weapons, metallic leg-protections over a black hose, shoes reinforced with metal, and some kind of armored skirt. She had a metal-studded kransen that went across her forehead. She was armed with an impressive-looking double-edged battle axe and a dagger, and was carrying her metallic helmet in a bag slumped over her shoulder.
They tricked her by pretending that a mugging was taking place. The woman probably had a strong sense of justice, as she couldn't help but rush to the rescue of a woman that was supposedly getting assaulted.
Yuka was playing the part of the innocent victim, and took advantage of the embrace she was giving to her rescuer to touch her face – and to instantly send the blond knight-errant to slumberland with her power.
Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi worked together to strip the woman of her gear. Removing the chainmail and the various metallic protections proved to be a little more difficult than they anticipated, but they succeeded nontheless.
The blond knight-errant was left wearing a light grey undertunic and her black hose. While the hose was technically supposed to be part of the armour set, Yuka didn't want to leave the woman's private parts exposed for everyone to see. She didn't have anything against that woman, and the blond knight seemed to be a good person at heart. People willing to jump to the defense of commoners were becoming too rare in her opinion nowadays. She reasoned that her trousers would do the trick, as she could tie the metallic protections around them.
Then, they got their hands on a pair of drunken sailors who had probably lost their way. The first was a tall auburn-haired woman with a fair skin and golden brown eyes. The second was of average size, had brown hair, and light chestnut eyes.
They were wearing the same sailor clothes: an ample light brown blouse with ample sleeves rolled up to the elbows, striped red-and-white ample trousers, a dark brown cloth sash tied around the waist, and brown shoes. The first woman's sailor bonnet was black, the second woman's was red.
With them, Yuka and her friends didn't even need to use trickery. They simply took the two women by the arms and led them in their hiding spot. The sailors followed them like gullible children. Yuka and her friends didn't even bother knocking them out: the two women were so drunk, they didn't even protest. And by the time they were down to their white sleeveless linen undershirt and matching linen thigh-long underpants, the sailors were snoring, having fallen into a deep alcohol-induced sleep.
Next, they caught a wench working at a nearby tavern when she went outside to enjoy a break in her shift. She was a plump woman with cute grey eyes, rosy cheeks, and a mass of light brown shoulder-long curly hair. She was clad in a white long-sleeved blouse, a red corset, a dark brown long skirt, white long socks, and black shoes.
A quick handgag then a neckchop, courtesy of Azeneth, put her out of commission. Once divested of her outer clothes, she was left wearing a long beige shift.
Finally, they ambushed a duo of guards from the city watch, who were intrigued by the fact that some women seemed to have disappeared in the area. They were wearing the same uniform: a leather breastplate, leather helmet, and leather protections on the forearms; green mantles, dark brown trousers, leather belts around the waist, and thick brown boots. They were armed with clubs and daggers. The first city guard was a brunette with hazel brown eyes and a light skin. The second city guard had chestnut hair and sky blue eyes.
Yuka knocked out the first guard, but she froze when facing the second guard.
The woman had the exact same eye colour as Tsuki...
Luckily, Azeneth took over. The city guard foolishly thought that she stood a chance against the metis. A bad mistake, that was going to cost her a huge headache when she would wake up, given the beating she received.
“Yu'! What happened?!” Azeneth exclaimed once the woman was down for the count.
“I... Nothing.” Yuka lied.
A part of her was ashamed of herself. In Ghazan, she promised her friends that she would reveal her secrets to them. However, keeping her promise was proving to be a lot more difficult than she thought. Some stories were hard to tell...
Azeneth shared a glance with Jinora. The two women weren't duped, but they also knew that they didn't have the time to question their friends while a pair of unconscious women were waiting to be stripped and more were waiting to be trussed up.
They stripped both guards, though they only needed one set of clothes, reasoning that it would leave a false trail by making people believe that they were a group of six. The two city guards were wearing grey tight underpants tied around the waist with a piece of string and a matching sleeveless light tunic as undergarments.
When the time came to truss up their clothes donors, they enjoyed being able to once again use the magic-infused rolls of sticky ribbons that Coulter was crafting for Rashid. These ones were brown.
Indeed, instead of having to bother with knotting ropes or strips of cloth, Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi simply had to wrap the ribbons around their captives' limbs. On one side, the ribbons were as sticky as a strong glue, and they were as strong as ropes thanks to the magic infused into them. They were even able to use them as gags, as the sticky end was perfect to seal someone's lips.
Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi mummified the arms of the women, pinning them against their sides, then mummified the thighs and the calves. Next, they wrapped a ribbon around each woman's lower face to gag them.
As always, Coulter was waiting in a corner without helping them.
Finally, they found a few empty barrels. They stashed each woman inside one barrel, though they made sure to leave the lid slightly open to allow them to breathe.
Once their clothes donors were out of sight, they put on their disguises.
Yuka was chosen to wear the knight-errant's gear, as by shapeshifting she could also increase her muscle mass to be able to withstand the chainmail, metallic protections, and heavy axe.
Azeneth and Jinora chose to put on the sailor's clothes, as their appearances were a clear giveaway that they were from southern countries.
Yisüi put on the wench's dress, though it proved to be a little too ample for her. However, with her appearance showing that she was from Gengis, the blonde couldn't pass herself for a soldier.
Coulter was given the uniform of one of the guards, mostly because it was the only one left.
Standing a little afar from everyone else, Coulter casted an illusion to change her facial appearance. While Charioteers were numerous in the Vassal Kingdoms, they were still standing out a lot among the fair-skinned people of this part of the world with their bronzed skin. And they certainly weren't part of a city's watch.
“Remind yourself to use as little magic as possible.” Yuka instructed the mage-woman. She pointed at the lapis-lazuli blue oval-shaped polished stone that the redhead was wearing as a necklace. “You're maybe wearing the concealing catalyst, which means that you can cast small spells without alerting the Mages. However, the people from the Vassal Kingdoms are a lot more hostile towards magic than everyone else. It's best to not attract their attention.”
Coulter muttered something under her breath.
Yuka ignored her. “Let's go, then. We have to cross all the kingdom to reach the Yr Widdfa!”
“By the way, Yu'.” Azeneth intervened. “We are still awaiting for your story...”
However, she didn't have the time to insist.
A group of dockers was passing nearby, and they chose to quickly walk away. They didn't want to draw their attention to the places
“Not as long as we're in a town.” Yuka said.
******* Days later... *******
The rain was heavy and cold, as it often was at this time of the year in the Vassal Kingdoms.
Guinevere adjusted the hood of her black cloak to try to protect herself from the rain. The woman was a soldier of Danann, the biggest Vassal Kingdom. She was wearing a long-sleeved green tabard with black threads and a leather armour made for riders over a long-sleeved grey tunic, as well as ample black trousers. Gloves were protecting her hands, and a leather helmet was protecting her head. Iron armours and helmets were more expansive, therefore they were reserved for the main army of the kingdom. Guinevere was walking in thick brown leather boots. A belt onto which her sheaths, her sword and her dagger were strapped was tied around her waist. To protect herself from the weather, she was using a thick black hooded cloak.
The woman had a light skin, round-shaped green-blue eyes, and auburn hair tied into a short ponytail. She was tall and athletic-looking, with a slightly curvy body and an oval-shaped face.
Guinevere muttered a curse under her breath. The Mages were crazy. They were now suddenly asking all the Vassal Kingdoms to send patrols looking for a group of fugitives. As if the soldiers didn't have anything better to do...
Guinevere was one of the six soldiers assigned to a small fort watching a portion of the main road which was crossing the Kingdom of Danann from east to west. Their garrison was small; they were watching a secure road in a part of the kingdom where banditry was unheard of. Guinevere and her partners spent more time maintaining their section of the road than fighting off bandits.
Their 'fort' itself was more something akin to a relay station anyway. It consisted of a big multi-storey guardhouse in which the soldiers were eating and sleeping, an annexe of the guardhouse for the kitchen, latrines, and a stable for their horses. The buildings were surrounded by stone walls, but they were short and would be easily climbable by a determined attacker.
Guinevere entered the guardhouse and closed the door. She was soaked! Hopefully, she could warm herself at the fireplace...
The soldier removed her hood and shook herself to get rid of the water.
A hand was suddenly clamped over her mouth from behind and a knife was pressed against her throat, a part of her body that wasn't protected by her leather armour or helmet.
“Not a sound.” a female voice commanded her.
Guinevere's eyes widened. “Mphhf?!”
Her first reflex was to try to grab her dagger.
She felt the blade slightly sting her throat, and realized that her attacker only needed to move her hand a little further to plunge the blade into her throat.
“Not a sound AND not a move.” the woman added. “For now, we have managed to avoid bloodshed with your other friends. But be sure that I won't hesitate to slit your throat if you threaten my friends or I.”
Guinevere moved her hand away from the hilt of her dagger.
“Good.” the woman who was behind Guinevere said.
The soldier scanned the inside of the guardhouse. The entrance was directly leading to the main living room, where the guards could eat at long tables and warm themselves at the fireplace. Stairs were leading to the top floors, in which the guards were sleeping. A door was leading to the storage room, another to the annexe in which the kitchen was.
The door leading to the small room in which they were storing their equipments was open. Inside, a small group of women were seated while resting against each other.
Guinevere recognized Isabeau, Dhuoda and Berthe, three of her fellow guards. The three women had a light skin, and hair that were various shades of brown: respectively medium brown, mousy brown, and light ash brown. They were sharing Guinevere's hairstyle: a short ponytail. Their eyes were brown, and they all had fit bodies.
Guinevere realized that now that she was captured, only Pavla and Zola remained. And since they were still watching the road outside, they couldn't suspect what was currently going on. Their fort was being overtaken!
Inside the storage room, there was also Eloise, a short plump blond woman with blue eyes and a round face. She was the servant tasked with cooking their small garrison's dinner. And at the end of the line, Guinevere could see Lisseut, the stable girl. She was a tall skinny woman with a sharp angular face, short shoulder-long light brown hair, hazel brown eyes with golden specks, callous hands, and a white skin with a few freckles on the cheeks and the shoulders.
They were all bound and gagged, as well as unconscious. Their hands were tied behind their back; and ropes were wrapped around their shoulders, around their thighs, and around their ankles. They were gagged with a thick piece of cloth tied over their mouths, probably to prevent them from spitting something.
Also, Isabeau, Dhuoda, and Berthe had been stripped of their soldier gears and uniforms, and were only wearing their underclothes: a light grey sleeveless undertunic and a dark brown hose. Even Eloise and Lisseut had been divested of their clothes. The stable girl was clad in a dirty grey chemise and matching knee-long underpants. A faded orange cloth was wrapped in-between the servant's legs and around her waist, and a strip of faded yellow cloth was wrapped around her chest.
A frail-looking woman from Gengis, with faded blue eyes, a pale skin and platinium blond hair, was currently wearing Eloise's beige long skirt, brown corset, and puffy white long-sleeved shirt. A copper-coloured-skinned woman with coarse braided black hair and almond-shaped brown eyes was wearing the clothes of the stable girl: brown boots, black trousers, a white blouse, and a brown leather apron.
There was also another woman with curly armpit-long red hair, amber eyes, and a bronze-coloured skin. A Charioteer. She was sitting on the stairs with a sulky expression. She wasn't disguised: she was wearing the traditional clothes of her people. Finally, another woman with a tanned skin, short dark brown hair, green-hazel eyes, an angular face, a pointy chin and an aquiline nose was busy securing the ropes binding Isabeau.
Guinevere realized that the intruders probably started with Eloise and Lisseut, ambushing the servant while she was alone in the kitchen and the stable girl while she was tending to the horses. They probably had taken advantage of the rain to sneak into the place, climbing over the wall with a rope.Neutralizing the two non-combattants would have been easy for them, and they could strip them in peace. While the impostors physically didn't look like the women they replaced, the thick rain was allowing them to hide their figures outside, especially since they had an excuse to use cloaks. Under their innocuous guise, it was easy to ambush the soldiers that were near the main guardhouse. Then, once the way was secured, they could easily carry all the prisoners inside the building to hide them, and wait for the remaining guards to come in and fall under their clutches.
Still, the woman with the knife wasn't lying when she said that her friends were alive. Guinevere felt relieved to see them all unharmed. Bound, gagged, stripped, and unconscious; but at least still alive and well.
“Yuka! Hurry up, please!”
“Sorry. I wasn't expecting another one to come here so soon. I barely had the time to knock out the previous one.”
The tanned-skinned woman with green-hazel eyes approached Guinevere. The soldier frowned. The woman wasn't carrying anything.
“Curse these armours and outfits that cover all the body...” Yuka commented while looking at Guenivere's gear.
Then she did something strange. She put her hand on Guinevere's face.
“What are you-” the guard started to ask.
“Don't worry. It's painless.”
The palm glowed.
Guinevere's eyes widened. She let out a soft long moan, and her entire world became black.
**************
The soldier's unconscious body slumped into Azeneth's arms.
Of course, Guinevere couldn't see it anymore, but her captors gently laid her on the floor. Then, they methodically stripped her. They removed the cloak first, then the gloves belt and the helmet. Next, they took off the tabard and the leather armour. They finished by sliding off the boots, then the pants, before pulling off the tunic.
Once she was down to her underclothes, a light grey sleeveless undertunic and a dark brown hose, Guinevere was bound with some of the ropes stored in the storage room. A few pieces of cloth were shoved into her mouth, and a thick rag was tied over her mouth, covering her lower face. Finally, a light veil soaked with sleeping potion was tied over her nose to ensure that she would keep dozing off during the next couple of hours, as Yuka and her friends didn't want to be disturbed.
Their plan was simple: raid one of the small forts watching the road, neutralize everyone inside, steal some of the guards' uniforms and horses, and cross the kingdom while posing as one of the many patrols roaming it.
Indeed, they desperately needed a guise to travel the lands unnoticed. Their little escapade in Dun Merida didn't go unnoticed. The women they mugged and hid in the barrels were eventually found, and their testimony allowed the Mages' allies to realize that Yuka's team was in Danann. Therefore, the Mages had ordered all the soldiers available to patrol the kingdom to try to find them. While they didn't know the exact goal of Yuka's and her friends' quest, they knew that they had to hinder it.
Even the blond knight-errant they mugged joined the chase!
Yuka and Azeneth nestled the defeated soldier between Isabeau and Berthe.
Ultimately, Guinevere was able to warm herself, though it was with the human warmth of her unlucky half-naked fellow guards instead of with the fireplace.
**************
Yuka was satisfied. “Now, only two guards remain. We simply need to wait the end of their shift, then-”
“Yu'. You can't keep on like this.” Azeneth suddenly intervened.
“What do you mean?”
“You've been avoiding the topic ever since we left Ghazan. It's time for you to fulfill your promise.” the metis said.
Jinora and Yisüi raised their heads.
Coulter rolled her eyes. "Really? Now?" the Charioteer commented with an exasperated tone.
"About Tsuki?"
"Yes."
Yuka gulped.
“Right now?” she asked.
Azeneth gestured to show the bound women and the discarded uniforms they were going to put on to disguise themselves. “What better moment than now?" she asked. "We're all sharing a moment together, doing what we do best. You know yourself. You know me. You know us. You know this is the best moment.”
Still, the shapeshifter was hesitating.
Azeneth smiled encouragingly. “Really, if the story is too long, you can give us a summary.” she joked to try to put her friend at ease.
Yuka bit her lip. She didn't like how lightly Azeneth was broaching the subject.
Unaware of her friend's uneasiness, Azeneth kept talking.
“I mean, we all know the big lines. Tsuki tried to harness the power of the Black Star. It was a bad idea, she probably should have seen it coming, but she underestimated the power of that dumb rock.”
Yuka closed her eyes. “Stop it...” she muttered.
However, Azeneth didn't hear her. “You managed to stop her from causing too much damage, but she's still on the loose, and-.”
“Az'. Stop it, please.” Yuka said louder.
“Uh? You mean that it didn't happen that way? I thought that Tsuki-”
“Stop it!” Yuka violently exclaimed. “You don't know Tsuki! You don't know what you're talking about! You don't know the half of it! You don't know anything! You-”
She stopped screaming.
Her friends were all looking at her with shocked expressions. Yuka had never gotten angry with Azeneth before. Never with any of them.
Well, except with Coulter of course, but that was because of the redhead's bad attitude...
Yuka realized what she had done.
“I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't want to get angry at you... I shouldn't... I don't have the right to get angry at you. At any of you.” she apologized.
Azeneth shook her head. “I'll apologize too. I shouldn't have talked so lightly about this part of your past. So, now that we have both admitted that we are incensitive morons, let's all forget about the incident, shall we?”
“I... I don't deserve your kindness, Az'... I've kept the truth to myself for so long... I have avoided it for so long. I preferred to run away from my problems instead of confronting them. With Rashid and Nahid. With Tsuki. I'm a coward, you know? Deep down inside, I'm just a coward...”
“Yu'. Tell us what happened, please.” Azeneth softly said. “I want to help you. We all want to help you.”
Jinora and Yisüi nodded.
Yuka closed her eyes, but she was unable to block the memory.
She had to tell the truth to her friends.
The shapeshifter took a deep breath.
“It wasn't Tsuki who proposed to try to harness the power of the Black Star.” she finally said.
She tried to fight off the feeling of shame and self-disgust.
“It was I.”
She remembered...
She confessed...
******* Years ago... *******
Two shapeshifters were watching the charred remains of their former house.
“I... I don't think that Hinata managed to escape the fire in time...” Tsuki timidly commented. Her eyes were red because of the tears. She had cried a lot.
“We weren't doing anything wrong! We were only trying to live our lives!” Yuka clenched her fists. She was furious. “We can't accept that forever... We have to do something!”
Tsuki was looking unsure. She wiped her eyes. “But what...?”
“Don't you see?” Yuka angrily retorted. “Our kind has always had the tool we need to fight back! They are simply too afraid to use it!”
Tsuki's eyes widened. “You mean...”
“The Black Star was so powerful, it even killed the gods!” Yuka exclaimed. “Our people are tasked with keeping it hidden... But what if we harness its power? We could use it to protect our people...”
Tsuki was looking horrified. “It's forbidden and dangerous! We can't use that power!”
Yuka looked at the charred remains. She could still smell the smell of burnt wood... and of burnt flesh. Hinata was blind. On her own, she hadn't been able to exit the house before succumbing to the effects of the smoke. She knew that she would never be able to forget the smell, and that the memory was going to fuel her anger for long. '“Because letting our people be persecuted is better? Trust me, this is the best solution!”
Tsuki bit her lower lip. She clearly wasn't thrilled by the idea, but she was too demure to confront her best friend.
Yuka silently took her in her arms and held her close. They tightly embraced each other. Hinata was dead. They only had each other now.
However, the two friends were interrupted by the sound of a crowd.
“They are still looking for us!” Tsuki shrieked.
Yuka took her hand. “Follow me. We will hide in the forest.”
**************
The villagers were still chasing after them.
Yuka was running while still holding Tsuki's hand.
“Yu'... We can't run away forev-” the exhausted light-brown-haired shapeshifter tried to say.
“Hush!” Yuka interrupted her. “I hear something!”
People were heading in their direction.
The two shapeshifters hid in the bushes.
Luckily, the humans were only two. Two young women with copper-coloured skins, dark eyes, and coarse black hair. They were both rather short and muscular, the kind of women who were often working in the fields. The first lass had waist-long tightly-braided hair and a bulbous nose. The second lass had shoulder-long hair tied into several small braids, a pointy chin, and a long pointy nose. Both women were wearing thick brown leather sandals and thick ankle-long dresses made to work outside, with a rope tied around the waist as a belt. The first woman's dress was brown and orange with a pattern of black and blue losanges, the second woman's dress was beige and orange with a pattern of brown and yellow losanges.
Yuka saw an opportunity.
“We'll take the appearances of these two.” she decided.
“But the elder said that we shouldn't ambush humans.” Tsuki whispered. “He said we shouldn't escalate things.”
Yuka took Tsuki's hand and looked her in the eyes.
“I think that they pretty much escalated things first when they burnt down our home!” she angerly whispered back. “They didn't care that Hinata was still inside. I bet they even found it funny!”
“I... I'm scared.”
Yuka took her hand, and put it on the jade bracelet she was wearing on her left wrist. The jade bracelet Tsuki offered her, just like Yuka offered Tsuki her jade earrings. Yuka squeezed her friend's hand. “Don't worry. I'm with you. Just follow my lead. I'll protect you. Always.”
**************
The two villagers were looking inexperienced, and even a little worried. Clearly, they were drifted by the crowd, and had been separated from the rest during the chase. They were now trying to find the rest of the villagers.
Yuka approached the two lasses from behind, urging Tsuki to follow her with gestures of the hand. Her friend reluctantly complied.
"Where are the others?" the first lass asked her friend.
"I don't know... We should have stayed at the village." the other answered. "I think I don't like very much how things are turning out... The others said that we were only going to scare them off, but they burnt down the house while knowing that one was trapped inside... They want to kill them."
They were unaware of the danger lurking behind them.
Yuka moved behind the first lass, and Tsuki behind the second.
"Now!" Yuka suddenly shouted.
She and Tsuki grabbed the neck and shoulder of their respective target. Their palms glowed.
The villagers let out a small cry of surprise. Their bodies briefly spasmed. Then, they moaned and fell on the ground.
Yuka and Tsuki dragged them by the legs further inside the undergrowth to make sure that other villagers wouldn't be able to see them while they were disguising themselves.
They stripped the two lasses down to their underclothes. Their victims were wearing similar-looking knee-long beige light underdresses with a piece of string tied around the waist.
Then, the two shapeshifters modified their appearance to look like the victims. They dropped the traditional clothes of their species on the ground, and slipped into the two human dresses.
“What do we do with them?” Tsuki then whispered while looking at the unconscious women.
The effects of their touch would probably wear off before they could be far enough from the other pursuers.
Yuka put the hand on the hilt of her knife.
In her mind, she could still smell the burnt remains of her house... and of her friend Hinata. Her anger was still drumming in her head.
She drew her weapon.
Tsuki's eyes widened. “You want to-”
“Why not? They started it!” Yuka retorted. "You heard these two. They want to kill her. Hinata's death wasn't an accident. I say we return them the favour."
She approached one of the unconscious women, and grabbed her by the hair.
Her hands were shaking. She hesitated. Apparently, killing unharmed lasses was harder than she thought.
“Yu'... I don't think I can do it...” Tsuki timidly intervened.
“Me neither.” Yuka admitted.
She released the lass's head, and grabbed Tsuki's discarded clothes. Without adding a word, she used her knife to cut them into makeshift bonds. Tsuki grabbed Yuka's discarded clothes and did the same.
They used to strips of clothes to bind the lasses' wrists behind their back, and to bind their ankles. They stuff-gagged them with a few small strips, and finally cleave-gagged them.
Yuka and Tsuki dragged the two young women into some bushes to conceal them. Then, they ran away. Yuka was finding confidence in the sensation of the jade bracelets around her forearms, and Tsuki was doing the same with her jade earrings.
Their quest for the Black Star had begun.
******* Now. *******
This time, it was it. In a way, Yuka was even somehow relieved. She had said it. There was no turning back.
“I... I was sick of watching my people being forced to hide in order to survive...” she explained.. “I was sick of the Mages and the people of the Empire persecuting us... I thought that we could harness the power of the Black Star to defend ourselves. I... I knew that it was dangerous and corrupting. But I didn't care... I was angry. You have no idea how angry I was. We... We had done everything we could to integrate ourselves... and they still chased us... They killed Hinata... I wanted revenge. At first, Tsuki wasn't very thrilled by my idea, but she followed me nonetheless. She followed me because she liked me that much...”
“I suppose you two went through a lot.” Azeneth commented.
Yuka nodded.
“We had to mug quite a few people to escape the humans' attention... Tsuki's personality changed after every mugging. She became more confident, more self-assured. At first, she was reluctant to steal other people's identities. After a while, she became eager and thrilled by the idea.”
While talking, the shapeshifter could almost witness once again in her head Tsuki's change of personality. From a timid reluctant girl to a more self-assured young woman.
When they had to steal the clothes of the two pilgrims to travel the Empire in peace, Tsuki was still reluctant.
When they mugged the two dockers, Tsuki was acceptive.
When they ambushed and knocked out the two soldiers, Tsuki was enthusiast.
When they captured and stripped the noblewoman and her servant, Tsuki was eager.
“You know the kind of power rush one can feel when neutralizing a woman to steal her clothes and identity, don't you?” Yuka asked her friends. “Well, for us shapeshifters, the sensations are amplified. Because of our powers. If we're not careful, we can even become addicted to them... to that sensation of power.”
“Is that necessarily a bad thing?” Azeneth intervened. “It helps build confidence... Just like with Yisü'!”
The blonde smiled shyly and blushed a little.
“I'm not talking about confidence, Az'. I'm talking about addiction. Like a drug.” Yuka explained.
“Oh. Bummer.”
“And now that the Black Star has removed all of Tsuki's inhibitions and her moral compass... I have created a monster, Az'. Suppose Tsuki comes across a woman whose appearance she likes. Nothing can stop her from murdering her to take her place. And she'll be perfectly ready to do it again five minutes later if she feels like it. She will never be satisfied, no matter how many women she replaces, she will always crave for more.”
Yuka suddenly interrupted herself.
“Someone's coming.” Yisüi whispered.
It was another soldier.
The door opened.
The guard entered. She had a white skin, blond hair tied into a short ponytail and blue eyes. She was tall and fit.
“Hey, girls! I have a bottle of that good southerner wine! What do you say we all share it to warm ourselves and forget about that damn rain outside?”
Yisüi, Azeneth, and Jinora jumped her before she could react.
A good breath of sleeping potion and one stripping later, the knight was now sharing a nice spot in the storage room with her friends instead of sharing a bottle of wine. Bound, gagged, and divested of her outer clothes, of course.
Well, at least they were keeping each other warm and didn't need to worry about the damn rain outside...
“Continue, please.” Azeneth said to Yuka while closing the door.
“It took us some time to find what we were looking for. Most of the shapeshifters who know about the Black Star's location are very tight-lipped about it. Even towards other shapeshifters, especially young ones like us. We had to... well, infiltrate ourselves a little.”
******* Years ago... *******
Tsuki was protesting.
However, she wasn't doing it timidly anymore. After all these times she mugged and impersonated other women, she had become more confident.
“They are other shapeshifters, Yu'.” she said. “They are our own kind...”
Yuka was still too angry to listen. The smell of the charred remains of Hinata was still in her mind, even months after the event.
“They also refuse to tell us where the Black Star is.” she retorted.
“But-”
“Don't worry. I've the studied the recipe of this sleeping potion. It's harmless.”
Shapeshifters were indeed naturally immune to their kind's 'touch'. Therefore, Yuka had to find another way.
“I still think that it's a bad idea.” Tsuki said. She was nervously fidgeting with one of the jade earrings she was wearing.
Yuka took her hand. “Tsu', we've spent months trying to obtain this information legally. They will never tell us. We have to take matters into our own hands. We're also doing it for them! This is also for their own good!” She looked her friend in the eyes. "I need you with me, Tsu'. I will take the full responsability for our action, but I need you with me..."
Tsuki bit her lower lip, but then nodded. “You're so strong, Yu'. I wish I was as strong as you...” she commented.
**************
One of the best kept secrets of the shapeshifters was the location of their underground library, in which they were storing all their knowledge. Thousands of books containing most of the secrets of their world. Informations about the world before the death of the ancient gods. The collective memory of their people. Their most cherished treasure. Even to Rashid, Yuka refused to reveal the location of the underground building.
Yuka's and Tsuki's targets were two women who were part of the group of librarians permanently taking care of the place: Ino and Hanabi. Ino had a tanned skin, hazel eyes, and light brown hair tied into a high ponytail. She was slim and curvy. Hanabi had a white skin, light blue eyes, and dark brown hair reaching past her hips tied into a lower ponytail with a white ribbon. She had two shorter strands of hair in the front with pink ribbons at the ends. Her body was flatter than her partner, but her face was softer and angelic-looking.
Both were wearing the same outfit: black shoes, a dark blue skirt, a white, red and blue tunic with black buttons. and a white headband adorned with small jade beads.
The two young shapeshifters chose to ambush the women in the dormitory of their personal quarters.
"Did you hear about the two young ones who came today?" Hanabi was asking her friend.
"No."
"They were asking about the location of the Black Star. But the elders refused to tell them. They say they are too angry to possess such an information..."
Yuka and Tsuki shared a determined look. Then, they rushed inside the room before Ino and Hanabi could notice their presence.
They clamped clothes soaked with Yuka's sleeping potion over their victims' mouth, muffling the cries for help they reflexively let out. Ino and Hanabi struggled during a few instants. Then their bodies went limp and they slumped into the young women's arms after one long sigh.
Yuka and Tsuki stripped the two librarians of their outer clothes. As underclothes, Hanabi was wearing a white loincloth and a pink strap of cloth wrapped around the chest, Ino was wearing a dark blue loincloth and a matching strap of cloth wrapped around the chest. They also removed Hanabi's ribbons.
The two friends were carrying ropes to truss up their victims. They bound Ino's and Hanabi's wrists, arms, shoulders, thighs, knees, and ankles. They cut a few strips from the sheets to gag and blindfold them.
They laid the two unconscious women on one of their beds, facing each other. They pushed their bodies against each other, so that they would fit on one bed, and covered them with a blanket to conceal them.
Then, Yuka and Tsuki changed shape to look like the default appearance of the two shapeshifters they knocked out. The two friends knew that they were violating the biggest taboo of their people by using their power to steal the identities of fellow shapeshifters, but they didn't care. They were determined to reach their goal. They put on the discarded clothes, and hid theirs with Hanabi and Ino.
Thanks to their new guise, they were able to search the library and to find the scroll they were looking for.
The scroll showing the location of the Black Star.
******* Now. *******
Yuka was suddenly interrupted in the middle of her story.
The door had opened. A woman had entered.
Yuka's friends were so captivated by her tale, they didn't hear this one approaching.
The guard blinked. She had a fair skin, sandy blond hair tied into a ponytail and dark grey eyes.
“What the-?! Heretics!” she screamed.
She tried to draw her sword.
Azeneth jabbed her in the face.
“Quiet.” the metis barked. “We're having a moment here.”
She immobilized her while Jinora was putting her to sleep with a rag soaked with sleeping potion.
The two friends and Yisüi quickly removed the woman's gear, revealing that she was wearing a hose and an undertunic similar to the ones worn by her unlucky companions.
The pain-in-the-neck soldier who rudely interrupted the story was finally tightly trussed up with ropes, gagged, dragged inside the storage room, and seated at the end of the line of trussed up unconscious women.
“Please, proceed.” Azeneth then said to Yuka.
“I'll spare you the details, since we don't have much time left. Ultimately, we succeeded. We reached our goal...”
******* Years ago... *******
The Black Star was located deep inside a cavern of the southern Yr Widdfa, southwest of Uxmal, the regional capital of the Empire's western provinces. The place was remote and in the middle of the mountains.
However, once they knew about its exact location, it was only a matter of time and preparation before they could find it...
“This is it.” Yuka muttered.
They were facing the Black Star.
"We have found it..."
Finally.
Strangely, the rock looked actually smaller than what Yuka was expecting. At the center of the huge cavern, it even looked tiny.
But it was oozing with power...
The Black Star lived up to its name. It was a polished stone so black that it seemed to even deny the light its right to exist. And it was floating.
In the cavern, the silence was deafening.
Time passed.
Suddenly, Yuka realized one thing.
Her legs were shaking.
Now that she was witnessing first-hand the Black Star, she realized that she may have made a mistake. How could a thing so malevolent-looking be of any help?
The smell of Hinata's charred remains, the anger that carried her all the way until here... They were all swallowed by the malevolent aura she could feel emanating from the Black Star.
Was she mistaken? Her plan sounded like a good idea... until she was finally facing the goal of her quest.
Tsuki took a step forward.
She apparently wasn't as sensitive to the evil aura of the rock as Yuka was.
“It's not doing anything. Shall we... Shall we touch it?” Tsuki finally asked.
Her words broke Yuka out of her trance.
“Tsu'... Maybe we should... Maybe we should wait a moment. That thing looks dangerous. I didn't think it would look that dangerous...”
“Are you saying that we should reconsider our plan now? After all we've done?! Yu'! You can't be serious!” Tsuki exclaimed. She looked at her friend, and saw the expression on her face. “Are you... scared?”
Yes. She was scared. Scared for their safety. Scared that she had made a mistake. Her plan looked a lot better when she was in front of the charred remains of Hinata than now, when she was witnessing first-hand the true nature of the Black Star.
The others had tried to warn her, but she was too angry to listen. She was only starting to realize how right the elders of the library were...
Tsuki bit her lower lip. “We've come this far, Yu'. We can't renounce now! Yes, it looks dangerous, but it's only because it's powerful. We can use that power to save our people. You said it yourself!”
“Tsu'...”
Tsuki grabbed her hand. For the first time in her life, she was looking more determined than her friend. “Yu', you can't be strong for me all the time. This time, I... I'll do it for you! I'll be strong like you!”
At that moment, Yuka made the biggest mistake of her life. The mistake that was going to haunt her until her dying breath. She was exhausted, afraid, and her mind was clouded by conflicting emotions.
She hesitated one second.
One second of hesitation.
The time for Tsuki to move away and to touch the Black Star.
There was an eruption of darkness.
A dark fog coming from the stone itself spread in the cavern.
Yuka shuddered and took a few steps back. She was feeling sick, as if she was about to vomit. She could feel the Black Star's malevolence with every fiber of her being...
What had she done?
Tsuki... I have to get her out of it! Yuka thought.
But Tsuki didn't seem affected by the black fog coming out of the Black Star. A black fog that was starting to surround her. She was gazing at the stone.
“Yu'... It's... It's...”
Yuka realized that her friend was looking ecstatic, not scared.
“It's so beautiful!” Tsuki exclaimed.
Yuka gagged.
Tsuki's eyes. Her eyes were completely black! She was crying tears of joy.
Yuka grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her away from the black fog. “That's it! I'm calling this plan out! We leave! Now!”
She walked away, and dragged her sister of clan behind her.
Something hit her hard on the head, and she fell on the ground of the cavern. It took Yuka a few seconds to realize what had just happened.
For the first time in her life, Tsuki had struck her clan sister.
“NOOOOOO!” Tsuki shouted. And it sounded like the guttural grownl of a beast. “You won't take me away from Her!”
“Tsu'... You hit me...” Yuka said with disbelief.
Tsuki staggered and hesitated.
“I... I...”
Her eyes were sky blue again.
Then they heard the voice in their heads.
Tsuki.
The latter turned away. “I... I need to touch Her again.”
Her eyes had become black once more. She had completely forgotten about her friend, and walked towards the Black Star.
Yuka didn't hesitate. She got up, ran and jumped Tsuki, tackling her to the ground to prevent her from touching the stone again. She would carry her by force if she had to! She had to save her!
The two friends rolled on the ground. They were violently grappling with each other.
Around them, the walls of the cavern quaked. The Black Star was awakening.
Tsuki got the upper hand. She pinned Yuka to the floor of the cavern.
Impossible! When did she get this strong? Yuka thought.
Tsuki's strength wasn't natural. Until now, she had never been able to defeat Yuka in training.
It was thanks to the power of the Black Star!
“I understand what's the problem. You haven't touched the Star yet, Yu'.” Tsuki suddenly said. “This is why you're being so erratic.”
With her right hand and her legs, she was pinning her friend to the cavern's floor. Her left hand was encircling Yuka's throat.
“This is why you want to leave. Don't make that mistake! I feel the power pulsating through my veins. I'm seeing things, Yu'. The Black Star is allowing me to feel sensations that I didn't even suspect. She's showing me the true nature of our world!”
Yuka was crying. She was now fully realizing the weight of her stupidity. “Tsu'... We... We have to leave... Please.”
“You will touch the Star, Yu'. Then you'll see everything...” The palm of Tsuki's left hand glowed.
Yuka's body suddenly became heavy and numb. She realized that Tsuki was using the touch. But how? How is it possible? Shapeshifters are supposed to be immune to the touch... While Tsuki couldn't knock a fellow shapeshifter out yet, she was able to render her numb and helpless thanks to the power the Black Star was giving to her.
Tsuki grasped Yuka round the waist, and dragged her to the stone.
“Yu'. Touch the Star.” Tsuki said. “Touch it, and we'll remain together forever. We'll be the vessels of the Black Star, and we'll remake the world in our image. In Her image.”
She dropped her friend next to the Black Star.
Tsuki carressed her jade earrings. The jade earrings Yuka gave her.
"Touch it Yu'. We are best friends and clan sisters. This is what was meant to be..."
Yuka's mind was instantly overflown with sensations.
She could feel the Black Star's consciousness. She could feel the power it was promising her.
But she could also feel the utter malevolence of the thing. The Black Star was an embodiment of chaos and destruction. No good could come out of Her promises.
Yuka realized that if she accepted the gift of the Black Star, she would belong to Her forever.
The black fog surrounded her.
Yuka resisted with all her strength.
Her mind was being overtaken. She only had a few seconds before it would break.
Then, in the depths of her despair, the shapeshifter got an idea.
She could use the power that the Black Star was granting... against Her...
I have to send it far away. To a place where Tsuki would never be able to reach it.
Yuka bended her will.
The jade bracelets whe was wearing were feeling very heavy.
Tsuki sensed what Yuka was about to do. Too late however...
“NOOOO!”
Her face contorted by anger would be the last thing Yuka saw before everything went black. Around her, the cavern was collapsing.
This would be the last vision of her friend for years.
******* Now. *******
“Even now, I still don't know how I managed to do it...” Yuka concluded her tale. “When I used the power of the Black Star against Her, there was some kind of... of explosion of darkness in the cavern. I fainted. When I woke up, I was alone in middle of the Hills of Tecuehitlan. I had succedded, but I had also been transported to another part of the Empire. Tsuki was nowhere in sight. I didn't know if she had been transported elsewhere... or if she had been crushed by the collapsing cavern. I wasn't trying to transport her, and she wasn't touching the Black Star... I was fearing that she had died crushed by the collapsing cavern.”
“What did happen next?” Azeneth softly asked.
“I wandered aimlessly in the Hills. I had no goal. I knew that I had screwed up. I hated myself. I wanted to die. I was actually dying of thirst when a trade caravan came across me.”
Azeneth frowned. “The trade caravan...”
“... was composed of agents working for Rashid, yes. His scholars picked up the power radiating from the Black Star with one of their devices, though it was too far away from them. That's how they found me. The same power briefly radiated from me when I appeared in the Hills, and since they were nearby they went to investigate.”
“That's how you came across Rashid.” Azeneth understood.
“He helped nursing me back to health... and he helped my mind recover as well. He talked to me about his goal to put an end to the Mages' rule and their oppression... He knew about my true nature, but he didn't judge me... He gave me a reason to keep on living. A way to redeem myself by trying to make the world a better place, instead of stupidly lashing out because of my anger... Had I not met him, I'd probably have ended up killing myself.”
“So this is why you care so much about him...” Jinora commented.
"Yes."
“What about Tsuki?” Coulter intervened.
“I've never met Tsuki again, until our confrontation in Ghazan. I was listening to all the rumours Rashid could gather, but I never heard about her... To tell the truth, I was afraid of what would have happened if I came across her... I had failed her.”
“And the other shapeshifters?” the redhead asked.
Yuka bit her lower lip. “They have repudiated me. I assaulted fellow shapeshifters... I messed up big time with the Black Star... I endangered my entire race... And then I chose to help Rashid, a human... In their eyes, I'm a pariah.”
There was a moment of silence.
Then, Azeneth put a comforting hand on Yuka's shoulder. “Feeling better?”
The shapeshifter nodded. Indeed. It made her feel better. A lot.
“I have to make things better." she said with determination. "I have to stop Tsuki. Maybe... Maybe I can save her.”
Azeneth lightly and playfully punched her shoulder. "That's the spirit."
“We will help you.” Jinora said.
“You better believe it!” Yisüi added.
Azeneth, Jinora, and Yisüi embraced their friend.
Coulter kept silent. She was trying her best to not look at them.
Yuka smiled and returned her friends' embrace. “Thank you, everyone.”
What else could she say?
“Let's go then! We have mountains to explore!” Azeneth said.
They celebrated by doing what they did best. Putting disguises as part of a mission, after having knocked out and trussed up the real owners of the outfits.
They put on Guinevere's, Berthe's, Isabeau's, Pavla's and Zola's uniforms and gear.
“Also, by the way, where is the Black Star now?” Coulter suddenly asked.
**************
Fifteen minutes later, a group of women dressed as soldiers of Danann were leaving the fort on horseback.
Re: Pakal
Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2021 10:41 am
by Trackman281
Great way to start the week.
Judging by the current rulers on the Pakal empire, it really doesn't surprise that several waves of conquests had happened before the events of the series, nice little bit of history there to add to the lore book.
Damn it Coulter, just when Yuka was about to reveal everything hahaha, subtly played, I tip my hat to you.
Well in all fairness our band of heroes didn't lie to the helpful knight-errant as indeed a mugging WAS in fact taking place, just not in the way that she thought haha.
I found the two drunken sailors scene quit enjoyable and quite funny, no need for tricks, no knocks outs and no fuss, just strip them of their uniform while they fall into a drunken black out haha.
That was a lot of USB scenes packed into one part, very enjoyable indeed.
When your dealing with a threat such a Tsuki, I guess it's only natural to be fearful of minour things such as the same eye colour, that reveals a more.......I guess you could say "phantom pain" or a true "unseen threat", I mean Tsuki is no where near them, yet that sense of her ever looming is evident. Nicely done.
Very nice to see the sticky ribbons make a welcome return, plus it was cool to see them leaving the lids of the barrels partly open so they can breathe properly, it's the little attention to details like that, that really gives the sense of true story writing.
Damn. Postponed again, Yuka there are only so many times you can get distracted, we need this story of yours.
That entire follow up scene was just delightful and it seems that not all guards are not just basic and dumb as Guinevere, not only only knew exactly what the plan was from Yuka and the gang but she even managed to pinpoint and go through the entire strategy of how Yuka and the other over powered each of the women in the fort and a what specific moments before taking their uniforms. It's a rare treat to see a guard with such awareness, when she's eventually freed, she should put in for an officer rank.
Plus whether it's from a fire place or in-between two beautiful half naked women, as long as your warm, that's all that matter.
Whoe........Talk about a sudden shift in mood, that entire scene with Azeneth and Yuka was an eye opener but also very touching, Yuka is a very realistic character, choosing to run away from problems, it's natural, it's believable. I know in her heart Azeneth didn't mean to push Yuka that hard as I know how close those two are, but Yuka was well within her right to respond like that. When the world comes crashing down and you finally have to face the burdens what drag you down, scream at them to let the emotional healing begin.
Now THAT was impactful, what a scene, filled with raw emotions, to know that once upon a time is was YUKA that was the brave and almost heartless one while Tsuki was genuinely scared, the death of Hinata, is unfortunate but set Tsuki and Yuka down the path that led them to the places in their lives where they are now. The entire part as I said was just great, you felt their desperation and uncertainty, they were still young when it happened, so they were confused, scared and struggling to make sense of it all. I look forward to seeing the next flashback.
Okay I'm not going to lie, the next scene where Yuka's describes the almost sexual rush that shapeshifters get from mugging another woman for her clothes / uniform, is both quite hot and quite sexy. This almost drug like effect of where shapeshifters can pretty much become addicted to knocking out women, stealing their clothes and then impersonating them........It truly, truly sounds wonderful to behold. I really will credit where it is rightfully due. You sir are one hell of a great story writer and story teller, this is fantastic.
I wonder? Tuski could ultimately become something of immense power and we all know how power drives others to follow blindly. Could Tsuki's ascension of absolute power draw in followers, almost like a cult or a band of zealot's?
I like the way the trio immediately jumped the poor as she entered, had to knock her out and strip her quick as we want to see the next flashback haha and yes she somewhat got what she wanted, she was sharing something with her fellow guards.
Tsuki bit her lower lip, but then nodded. “You're so strong, Yu'. I wish I was as strong as you...” she commented. Have no fear Tsuki, your time is coming.
Nice little bit of pre foreshadow there.
Very enjoyable scene afterwards with Hanabi and Ino, very well written.
HAHA, I like the scene afterwards, damn it, interrupted by another guard,
sssshhhhh, Yuka here is trying to tell us a story, the nerve of these guards.
Hell of an amazing scene afterwards, seeing the weight of all Yuka's choices that had been brought on by fear, pain and anger, watching them all take it's toll, watching two best friends fight over something that easily takes joy out of suffering, the black star would not care if Tuski and Yuka ripped each other to shreds. Truly an entity of pure darkness............Two beautiful shapeshifters, almost trapped in a prison by another's design, one is freed and comes back to the light while the other falls ever further down her dark path........Although did either truly free themselves. Yes Tsuki is trapped in a thirst for power as in encases her evil BUT Yuka herself in trapped in her own mind of guilt while her own actions are the result for Tsuki's downfall................Both women trapped in prisons by each others designs...........Beautiful and both upsetting at the same time..................Damn, you are truly a superb story writer.
Nice way to round it off, Yuka's friends have her back and they always will, it's a lovely touch. They'll have her back just as she has theirs, although the fact that Coulter only asked about the black stars location, is she just playing the whole, quite silent type for fear of showing emotion, or do I sense she has something else on her mind.
Well, what more can one say. Truly a delight, truly a breathtaking and all round fantastic story. The heart felt punches of Tsuki and Yuka's past was great to read, then the little comedy bits of the guards entering in between the flashbacks, broke it up nicely. The story flowed perfectly and once I started reading, I can assure you I did not want to stop until I myself had heard Yuka's entire tale. This was a phenomenal chapter and I absolutely loved it. Brilliant writing, story telling, non stop wondering what will happen next. Fantastic work.